''There is no doubt that unlike in the past, the figures are the level at which human health can be affected,'' said chief government spokesman Yukio Edano.

U.S. military crews delivering aid were exposed when their Navy helicopter passed through a radioactive cloud.

Japan has since imposed a no-fly zone over a 20 mile radius around the power plant.

Japanese Prime Minister Naota Kan also ordered more evacuations of people who live within 12 miles of the facility.

Kan acknowledged the possibility of further leakage and warned other residents to stay indoors.

More than 70,000 residents have already been evacuated, while some have taken refuge in a nearby city where they're being tested for exposure.

"Nuclear power is the most frightening, even more than a tsunami. The government, the ruling party, administrators, nobody tells us the citizens what is really happening," said Isao Araki, 63, who was one of the many people staying at an evacuation center.

Even people living in the capital city of Tokyo are worried.

"We had no other choice but to leave," one Slovakian woman, who works as a Japanese translator, said as she explained why she brought her children to Tokyo. "I am worried about air pollution."

"Even though officials said there's no need to worry because of the scale of the leak and Tokyo's distance from the power plant, I wonder whether they are telling the truth," one man said.

The crisis in Japan isn't only taking a toll on the victims, but also on the country's economy.

John Jessup

CBN News Anchor

John Jessup serves as the main news anchor for CBN, a position he assumed after 10 years reporting for the network in Washington, D.C. His work in broadcast news has earned him several awards in reporting, producing, and coordinating elections coverage. Follow John on Twitter @JohnCBNNews and "like" him at Facebook.com/John.V.Jessup.